Rating: 
Comeback Kid? Misery Signals? Well its seems former members have collectively given birth to Lowtalker, a crash and collide of both bands but with a lighter more rhythmic style than what you would expect, while still keeping that raw power. Soon to release their second EP The Marathon and with an upcoming tour across Canada and possibly even US dates (fingers crossed) you better get your ears and wallets at the ready as you can expect big things since their sign onto No Sleep Records.
Released September 18th, The Marathon contains six tracks. Track one named Tension, a long-lasting sudden burst of energy coming from the rhythm and lead to break down to a heavy drum-singer combination. Having described in the previous paragraph Lowtalker’s big differentiation from the bands they previously came from, its certainly a breath of fresh air and Tension is a great example of this. Softer vocals yet still giving you than hard, aggressive style, with much more creativity in how the song is put together and the instrumental difference instead of the standard ‘breakdown’ riffs the entire way through. This leaves a song and a band in its entirety which I actually enjoy listening to.
Track two. Like Minnows is far more pop-punk like in the introduction especially, but still manages to keep that strong exterior. The vocal construction in this song flows extremely well, much like the previous song. A problem which I found with the bands these guys came from, but only to a small degree. Lowtalker manages to keep a good balance of not overpowering the amount of vocals present, while just having the right amount which is needed at a good, steady pace with allowance for riffs and creative flair from other members. Reminds me of a modernised Anti-Flag, especially in the chorus with that background repetition of lyrics near the end of the song and lyrics of similarity (I think so anyway). Unlike the previous song, Like Minnows seems to keep a constant level of power throughout the song, much like the songs of the pop-punk era. Its good to hear a difference between songs and il admit on most occasions its difficult to like and listen to every song on an album from a band big or small, but so far Lowtalker are doing pretty good at keeping me entertained.
Although only a short EP, it would make an unbelievably boring article if I were to discuss every track as much as possible. So the last track up for discussion is my EP favourite (aside from Like Minnows), Chances. Chances is a good display of the less-aggressive side of Lowtalker especially concerning the vocals. A song which strongly reminds me of Rise Against, where the ability to harmony and shout when needed is standard. Chances is a very lyrical driven song with powerful drums and guitars to match. The breakdown towards the end of the song seems everlasting, however it somewhat seems necessary when involved in such a song with ongoing energy. The lyrics are tight and everything seems well formed in transition periods between sections. A great song.
So, lets sum up what we got. A vast improvement since their last EP in 2010, People Worry About Everything although the style and content has not changed drastically. There is also consistency through the EP, however still enough diversity in each song to make each one different. A great album.
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2 Comments
Nice review. I sorely disagree with the “breakdown riffs” comment. Misery signals write quite intricate guitars and Comeback Kid is more thrashy and melodic sounding than just pure breakdowns. If you used that term to describe bands like Attack attack or some othe rband I would agree.
Fair comment! I should really stay away from terms such as that since it doesn’t leave much to the imagination nor an explicit description, but I agree with what you say. Thanks for the feedback.